Book Review: Sharpe's Skirmish by Bernard Cornwell
My last Sharpe novel for a bit. I am struggling to find second-hand copies and haven’t quite got the funds to keep going with brand-new books.
For this title, I managed to get myself into a Love Books Tour and was gifted a quick read Dyslexia-friendly title by Bernard Cornwell OBE. The book in question was Sharpe's Skirmish, which is a little further into the series than I am currently, but it doesn't hold too many spoilers for me as I have seen the TV show. So, let us dive into the Historical fiction piece.
Title: Richard Sharpe #19: Sharpe's Skirmish: Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes, August 1812
Pages: 161
Author: Bernard Cornwell
Format: eBook
Accessible to all readers - dyslexic friendly - Book. Buy via Amazon: Link
Fluff:
Richard Sharpe and the Defence of the Tormes, August 1812
It is the summer of 1812, and Richard Sharpe, newly recovered from the wound he received in the fighting at Salamanca, is given an easy duty: to guard a Commissary Officer posted to an obscure Spanish fort with some captured French muskets to repair. But unknown to the British, the French are planning a lightning raid across the River Tormes, and they reckon the obscure Spanish fort, which guards an ancient bridge across the river, will be lightly guarded. Sharpe is in for a fight.
Review
As mentioned, I am currently working through the Sharpe titles, and after receiving this title, I checked to see how far ahead it is, and it seems to be set straight after the title: Sharpe's Sword. Set during Sharpe's time in Spain fighting the French. We join Sharpe and his mismatch regiment as they secure a fort to oversee the securing and redistributing some captured French rifles. But in classic Sharpe retelling history, he finds himself and his men in the path of a sizable French force.
We also get some recurring characters like Sharpe's Wife, Teresa, a member of the Spanish resistance, who plays a pivotal role in the story. And who would have thought the wine would play such a crucial role in the novel?
Cornwell does well to give us some insight into the conditions of the forces, as well as a fun end twist. But with a lack of page count, the story sometimes seemed rushed and not filled out enough. The dyslexic friendliness of the title helped with my reading of the title, and I am compiling a list of other titles I wish to get next. It is nice to see a company producing titles in this format, and I highly recommend checking them out and supporting Kickstarter.
As always, I appreciate your following and reading along! Until next time, cheers.
